These Seahawks home wins are almost starting to feel routine. They let the Panthers hang around for three quarters, and then finished them off in a flourish in the fourth quarter. This is what the Seahawks do.
Seattle's incredible secondary will get most of the attention after this one, and with good reason. But Russell Wilson is quietly finding another gear for the Seahawks offense despite a ragtag group of receivers.
"Sometimes I think I'm made for these situations," Wilson said about the playoffs.
Wilson had a better day on third downs than most quarterbacks have overall. He finished 8-of-8 on third down for 200 yards, three touchdowns and seven first downs. He only threw the ball 22 times, but averaged 12.2 yards per attempt. His 149.2 passer rating was the fifth-highest of all-time in the postseason.
"I was really fired up for Russell tonight," coach Pete Carroll said. "He had a great night on third down. ... He must have hit almost everything. Dude, I think he had three third-down touchdown passes, which is unheard of. How does that ever happen? He did a great job."
The Panthers, like so many other teams, struggled to convert pressure on Wilson into sacks. When Wilson is this precise and heady on third downs, Seattle is nearly impossible to beat. In their final five drives, they scored 24 points, punted once, and ran the clock out to finish the game.
That's the type of production that you expect out of a juggernaut, offense-first team. Seattle isn't there yet, but they are getting more balanced than ever. Marshawn Lynch leads a historically good running game, but he ran for only 59 yards Saturday. It's a great sign that Wilson can carry the offense for a night when he needs to.
The latest Around The NFL Podcast recaps every Divisional Round game and ranks the remaining quarterbacks still standing. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.
